Six Seconds

by Rick Mofina

Three strangers scattered across the world become entangled in a terrorist plot of global proportions in “this well-crafted and timely thriller” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).An aid worker who lost her husband and child in a brutal attack saves the life of an American contractor in Iraq. Believing he can help her avenge her family’s deaths, she follows him back home to the United States . . . Meanwhile, a California soccer mom arrives to pick up her son from school, only to discover that her husband has taken their child and vanished without a trace . . . An off-duty cop in the Rocky Mountains rescues a little girl from a raging river moments before she utters her final words in his arms. Haunted by failure, he launches an investigation that leads him to a school in Montana, where time is ticking down on an event that will rewrite history . . .

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Mystery Thriller, Amazon, Ebooks

445 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Rick Mofina is a former journalist who has interviewed murderers on death row in Montana and Texas, flown over L.A. with the LAPD and patrolled with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police near the Arctic. He's also reported from the Caribbean, Africa and Kuwait's border with Iraq. His true-crime freelance work has appeared in The New York Times, The Telegraph (London, U.K.), Reader’s Digest, Penthouse, Marie Claire and The South China Morning Post, (Hong Kong). He has written more than 20 crime fiction thrillers that have been published in nearly 30 countries.

His work has been praised by James Patterson, Dean Koontz, Michael Connelly, Lee Child, Tess Gerritsen, Jeffery Deaver, Louise Penny, Sandra Brown, James Rollins, Lisa Unger, Brad Thor, Nick Stone, David Morrell, Allison Brennan, Heather Graham, Linwood Barclay, Peter Robinson, Håkan Nesser and Kay Hooper.

The Crime Writers of Canada, The International Thriller Writers and The Private Eye Writers of America have listed his titles among the best in crime fiction. As a two-time winner of Canada's Arthur Ellis Award, a four-time Thriller Award finalist and a two-time Shamus Award finalist, the Library Journal calls him, “One of the best thriller writers in the business.”

Series:
* Tom Reed and Walt Sydowski
* Jason Wade
* Jack Gannon

Awards:
Arthur Ellis Award
◊ Best Novel (2003): Blood of Others

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 2 out of 5]

A generally formulaic, yet paradoxically at times captivating read, was this global Islamic pope assassination conspiracy thriller. It does have one standout piece of innovation - a Canadian Mountie being the lead character! Yes a Canadian Mountie, we're talking 'Due South' style on a global level! A Two Star, 5 out of 12.

2009 read

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a world where in a flash, horrors of epic proportions can happen, three strangers will find their lives intertwined in one woman’s ultimate game of revenge. One woman will search for her child, one man will search for redemption and together they will hunt for the woman who lost everything in Iraq.

The journeys of Dan Graham, Canadian Mountie, Maggie Conlin, a California mother searching for her young son, taken by her battle-traumatized husband, and Samara Ingram, an Iraqi-British nurse who was brutalized while her son and husband lay dead in front of her, will collide in a Montana town in this explosive thriller by Rick Mofina.

SIX SECONDS is an action and emotion-packed thriller that will cross continents as terrorists use one woman’s grief to fashion a disposable pawn in an effort to bring the Christian world to their knees.

A fascinating and gripping plot, executed with brilliance by Rick Mofina will have readers on the edge of their seats as they realize, the world is smaller than we like to believe as Fate and chance make the perfect foils for revenge, redemption, and the unlimited power of a mother’s love.

Readers will be thrust into the story and held captive as each page unveils the horrors mankind can perpetuate on those they fear. Thought-provoking reading for contemporary times.

Publisher: MIRA; Original edition (November 15, 2012)
Publication Date: November 15, 2012
Genre: Thriller | Suspense | Terrorism
Print Length: 496 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com

[Laurie Hanan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like many people, I read a lot of books. Many of them I get free. I wade through a lot of poorly written sludge in hopes of finding a real gem. This book is one of those rare gems. The action moves across the North American continent, to the Middle East, and Africa. The main characters, including the suicide bomber, are well developed, totally believable, and sympathetic. We absolutely get why they make the choices they do. The plot is fast paced and taut with tension. Every time I had to put the book down, I looked forward to getting back to it – the true mark of a great story. The only thing I disliked about it was the sometimes abrupt and jarring point of view changes, often within the same scene and sometimes in the same paragraph. Anyone who loves a good international thriller will be entertained by this book.

[Lisa Rathbun · Rating 3 out of 5]

This thriller caught my attention and kept me reading, wanting to find out what was happening. There were some initially horrific events, followed by a slow build-up with lots of little details from many different characters around the globe as RCMP Graham follows slender leads, eventually uncovering a bold terrorist plot. The story ended really quickly; I would have liked a few more details, but it was still good. However, on the second to last page, I was really annoyed by a couple sentences the author wrote. [Possible spoiler] I wanted to feel for Samara because what happened to her was horrific, but the choice she made was deeply evil: you cannot make up for your own grief at losing your family by choosing to kill another mother's child. So I REALLY didn't like this sentence: "Maggie's loathing evolved into acceptance that she and Samara were never enemies. They were women from different worlds. They were mothers united by tragedies beyond their control." Right -- so many of the atrocities in the world ARE beyond our control. That means we must make sure our own behavior, the only thing we can control, does not add to those atrocities. Every individual person has a choice to make with his or her own life. Maggie had never done anything to anyone. Samara on the other hand chose to use Maggie's son as a weapon of destruction. Samara was a damaged, hurting woman, but she chose to do unthinkable evil. If a woman who helped abduct and hide your son with the purpose of eventually killing him is not your enemy, what is the definition of enemy? The author writes that Maggie asked herself, "What are we doing to each other?" It IS a sobering thought: but the only answer is for every individual person to chose to STOP HURTING INNOCENT PEOPLE, to STOP BRUTALIZING the people around you. Both Maggie and Samara were mothers who had suffered tragedies beyond their control, but Samara chose to become a perpetrator of tragedy, specifically targeting a 9 year old child, a child utterly unconnected to the evil men who'd attacked Samara and her family in Iraq. So I didn't appreciate the author trying to indicate that Samara was some sort of equivalent to Maggie. I would have had tons more compassion on Samara had the book been about her tracking down her assailants or the wicked warlords who wiped out the harmless Bedouins with whom she'd been living (of course, an impossible task). But to chose to take her grief and pain and become the sort of person who inflicts harm on innocent people like she had once been herself -- she has become a monster.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars!

ISBN-10: 0778326128; 13: 978-0778326120
Publish date: January 1, 2009
Paperback; 496 pages; $6.99
Fiction, Suspense, Thriller
Recommended for: those who enjoy rollercoaster-like suspense thrillers

Six Seconds is so taut with tension you won’t be able to put it down

Hold your breath while reading the latest thriller by Canadian author Rick Mofina. The opening prologue of Six Seconds will give you chills and sets up the novel for a relentless, mind-blowing resolution.

Samara is an Iraqi nurse who witnesses the brutal slaying of her husband and young son. Overwrought with grief, she is easily influenced by a terrorist group and becomes a willing pawn in an assassination plot. Samara manipulates Jake Conlin, an America contract driver suffering from post-traumatic distress, and convinces him to leave his wife and take his son to start a new life with her in Montana. Little does anyone know, she’s planning on ‘going out’ in a blaze of glory―and she plans to take others with her.

When Maggie Conlin discovers her husband and son have disappeared, she teams up with Corporal Daniel Graham of Canada’s RCMP. He’s investigating the strange disappearance and subsequent murder of an American family holidaying near Banff, Alberta. Clues lead him to the small town of Blue Rose Creek, California, where the Conlins reside and where he meets Maggie. Fighting his own dark shadows from the past, Graham decides to help Maggie locate her missing husband and son.

In a terrifying novel that sweeps across countries and continents, Six Seconds is a story of war, vengeance and terrorism. It explores the war in Iraq and its damaging affect on everyone involved―from soldiers to terrorists to the innocent―and the repercussions that are felt long afterward. It’s also the story of painful loss, guilt and redemption sought by people who are worlds apart and separated by culture and personal beliefs.

I’d recommend Six Seconds to anyone who enjoys rollercoaster-like suspense thrillers. Reading this novel is like watching a ticking time bomb. You know it’s going to blow; you even know where and when, but all the while you’re praying for some form of divine intervention. Rick Mofina has chosen a timely topic and added intriguing characters to the mix, creating a novel that is taut with tension, complex and disturbingly convincing.

You can pre-order Six Seconds on Amazon or get it January 1st, 2009, from your favorite bookstore.


Cheryl Kaye Tardif,
critically acclaimed author of The River (Tardif)
http://www.cherylktardif.com

[Mary Ann Plahitko · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I could rate this one at 4.75. It is outstanding. I rarely stay up to finish a book but I couldn't sleep until I did. Now I have to read some of his other books. This book makes you think, as well as turn pages as fast as you can.

[Frank Flanagan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Kind of reminded of the paper back westerns I used to read in high school - everything conveniently works out and the good guys win.
good vacation read.

[Anne (Booklady) Molinarolo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Will post review later today

[Maciej · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bardzo ciekawa, wielowątkowa historia. Wszystkie motywacje bohaterów wiarygodne i dobrze zarysowane. Logika wydarzeń niezachwiana. Czego chcieć więcej?
Wizyta papieża w Ameryce, weteran wojny w Iraku i jego rodzina, islamska wdowa, funkcjonariusz policji konnej z Kanady co mają wspólnego? Nowa technologia broni bardzo wiarygodne wydarzenia. Krótkie rozdziały czyta się szybko. Polecam

[Billy Lockhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rick Mofina never disappoints, this is no exception.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, very interesting and well written page turner.

[Jonathan Brazee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Six Seconds is not your typical thriller in that there isn't an degree of suspense as to "who done it." I think every reader knew what was going to happen. What was important in this book was the journey to the climax.

I rather liked the protagonist, the Canadian Mountie, Daniel Graham. In many ways, he was rather cliche: the skilled police detective with a terrible burden, in this case, the loss of his wife in a traffic accident. But even with such characters, it depends on the skill of the author on if that character will come to life. In this case, the author succeeded.

I thought he was a little less successful with Maggie Conlin, the second protagonist. For me, she was a little too hysterical and demonstrative, but there are people like her out there.

One of triggers in the book was the rape of an Iraqi woman and the murder of her husband and son. I think the author was trying to be PC by naming the perpetrators as "mercenaries." In reality, mercenaries were not used in Iraq by coalition forces. There were civilian security contractors, but they did not take the fight to the insurgency. So that would leave the crime to be committed by military forces, something I initially rejected. However, there was a pretty similar case that actually occurred where the perpetrators were US military (with the perpetrators now in prison for life or sentenced to death). So it could have happened. More importantly, it highlights something that I think has been a major issue, the radicalization of people who were either pro-invasion or at worse, ambivalent. To me, this subplot was an extremely important one.

The novel was face-paced and pulled the reader into the storyline. Action was well-written and dialogue realistic. Editing was good with only a few fact-checking-type errors (such as a flight from Maryland to the Washington shore taking three hours or slot machines in Las Vegas still taking coins).

Overall, this was a well-crafted book that was an enjoyable read. I will be reading more of the author's work, and I think that is pretty much the bottom line on most reviews.

[Rene Natan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extraordinary thriller, with many components and characters. There is a Mountie (Corporal Daniel Graham) who risks his job to solve a murder that hit close to home, a woman who denies to be a jihadist but behaves like one, a mother who spares no efforts to find his kidnapped nine-year son, a family that apparently drowned in raging waters and a US special agent in charge of protecting heads of state. The countryside switches from the spectacular Rockies to the landscape of Montana as a crowd of faithful awaits the pope’s imminent visit. Children of the school choir who have been chosen to sing for the pope will receive a rosary from the hands of the Holy Father, this little ceremony scheduled to last six seconds for each child. But things are not as peaceful and serene as they seem to be—or should be. Special fabric incorporating explosive and micro-receptors can be woven and shaped in fancy clothing—thus constituting a potential, above-suspicion and undetectable weapon that can be ignited from any point of the earth.
The interaction between law-enforcement agents of different countries is carried out smoothly and with expertise; due to personal reasons Daniel Graham doesn’t care much about his job and this allows him to challenge his superior’s orders beyond normal police procedures; the US National Security Agency, with its advanced technology in signal intelligence keeps the skies under constant surveillance…
Would the Mountie, together with Maggie Conlin, the undefeated mother help avoiding a catastrophe? To know the answer you have to wait until page 488!

Written by Rene Natan, First Place in the 2012 Royal Dragonfly Book Award for The Blackpox Threat.

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

PB A terrorist/suspense novel. Daniel Graham is an off duty detective with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. While camping in the western mountains he sees and hears evidence of a search under way and then spots a small figure clinging to a rock in the middle of a rapidly flowing river. With little thought he plunges in and manages to reach a young girl and hold her while trying to attract the attention of a circling helicopter.
Maggie Conlin lives in California with her husband Jake and 9 year old son Logan. Jake has returned from a job as a contract driver in Iraq and is a troubled man. After several temper blowups he takes off with Logan and disappears. Maggie is left wondering what happened and looking for help searching for them from police, private investigators and finally a psychic.
Samara is a nurse and mother with British and Iraq citizenship. Her family is killed in an attack in their home in Iraq and she is raped. In her grief and anger she comes under the control of a radical terrorist organization and films a martyr’s suicide statement.

Follow these three people as their paths lead them together in the final chapters of a plot for revenge on US soil.
It was a good read, kept me interested to the end.


ISBN - 978-0-7783-2612-0, Suspense, Pages - 488, Print Size - R, Rating - 4

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well done - there were a lot of threads to this story, a lot to keep track of. The author did a great job with a complex and very topical plot. This is not a whodunit. You know what is going to happen (or at least you think you do), but the book tells the story of how it all got to that point.

Terrorism is a sad and evil curse and the people behind it are master manipulators. How else are young people from apparently comfortable and happy homes being coerced to fight people they don't even know? I only "pity" i have for Samara though is that her grief over her family's murder allowed her to become manipulated into becoming a terrorist.

What happened to her was horrible. What she planned to do was also horrible. In the wake of the recent Paris terrorism attacks I can't help thinking that at some point, someone, somewhere needs to NOT seek vengeance for the wrongs perpetrated against them; otherwise the endless cycle of revenge killings will never stop.

[Susie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was my perfect storm. Exactly the type I like!! A family of 4 dies in a tragic camping accident. (Ok I don't love when families die.) A father adversely affected by his time in Iraq runs away taking his 9 year old son. A Mountie cannot forgive himself for the tragedy in his life. A woman in the Middle East is the lone survivor after her husband and son are savagely killed. The Pope is scheduled for a visit to Montana. How all these stories come together makes for a fast paced exciting read. Rick Mofina may be my new go to author.

[Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rick Mofina is one of my favorite authors, I've greatly enjoyed each of his books I've read. Six Seconds is an extraordinary thriller, with a complex storyline and detailed characters.

[Sheila Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rick Mofina did a good job at developing a fast-paced and exciting thriller. The main characters are well-developed and each has their own interesting backstory that, for different reasons, leads them all to the same place and the exciting conclusion.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reads like a house on fire. This is a three hour read that you just can't put down. Good stuff.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was very exciting and gripping through out the story.

[Jo-Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author skillfully handled the complexity of this story, weaving together numerous threads and maintaining a cohesive and topical plot. It is not a traditional whodunit; the outcome is clear (or at least seems so), but the story delves into the journey leading to that point.

Terrorism is a devastating and reprehensible curse, driven by master manipulators. How else could individuals from seemingly stable and happy homes be coerced into fighting strangers? The only pity I feel for Samara is in the fact that her grief over her family's murder rendered her vulnerable to manipulation, ultimately transforming her into a terrorist.

What happened to her was tragic, and what she intended was equally so. In light of the never-ending terrorist attacks around the world, it is imperative to consider that, at some point, someone must stop seeking vengeance for the wrongs inflicted upon them. Without such restraint, the unending cycle of revenge killings will persist indefinitely.

[Kate Vale · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thriller that links actions occurring in Iraq, Canada, California, DC and other settings as a visit by the Pope to the US becomes the setting for what could be a world-wracking tragedy. But how are all those disparate characters connected? Only a grief-wracked RCMP becomes the link when he refuses to give up trying to find out why a family died in a Montana river while camping. His insistence on discerning whether it was an accident or murder pushes him to keep going when others have given up. As the clues begin to be revealed, a kidnapped child and his anguished mother also draw the police officer closer, but will any of them survive what may take only six seconds to wreak havoc unimagined?

[Nelson Banuchi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read. Kept me wanting to turn the page and read what happens next.

Canadian policeman is determined to find how a family of three died after being found drowned in what was supposedly a boating accident in a Canadian river. Meanwhile, the Pope is visiting Montana, a woman is desperately looking for her son, and in Iraq, a woman, who lost her family in a brutal attack by Americans, saves the life of an American contractor.

Mofina takes the story from Canada to the Middle East to Italy to America and with various interesting characters, all finally looking for where the next terrorist attack will take place. A real page-turner.

[Veronica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this novel although I didn't really enjoy the angst the mother kept crying over with the sudden disappearance of her son and husband. The protagonists laments over his dead wife also became exhausting and really seemed to be unnecessary to the plot. The remainder of the novel was great. Lots of suspense as you waited for all the leads to join together. The characters are all well written.

[Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heart-pounding

A RCMP who is mourning the death of his wife stumbles upon a family canoeing accident in the Canadian wilderness. The pleading words of its youngest victim sends the Mountie on a quest to determine if is was just a tragic accident or something more sinister. His determination to find answers takes him throughout the US following lead after lead more convinced that ever something is amiss. Kudos to Rick Mofina for writing yet another 5 star story!

[Mary Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another edge of your seat thriller. How will it end? Will the mother find her son? Will the Mountie solve the mysterious deaths in Canada? Will he and the mother stop a diabolical terrorist plot to kill the pope? If not breathless now, you certainly will be to the very last page. How does Mofina pull al the strings together? His brain must be fried after writing this one! Most excellent.

[Ginny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick paced with lots of tension. A Canadian Mountie mourning his wife just happens to be at the scene of a search for victims of a boating accident, a mother who has lost her family i an horrific act of vengeance during th war in Iraq, another mother searching for her son after her husband abducts him from school, these three lives intersect at a Papal visit in Montana. Story lines were woven together very well.

[Jenna Pen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Six Seconds by Rick Mofina was interesting enough to keep me reading until the end, but it never quite had me on the edge of my seat. While I was curious to see how things would unfold, I found myself going days without picking it up. In fact, it took me three months to finish, as I would read a few pages here and there without feeling truly hooked. It’s a decent read with an intriguing premise, but it lacked the gripping intensity I was hoping for.

[Bruce Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

While in the mountains near Banff, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Corporal Daniel Graham attempts to rescue young Emily Tarver clinging to a rock in a swft moving river. The girl's father is an independent reporter pursuing a story. The incident at the river leads RCMP Dan Graham to travel to Washington, D.C., California, Las Vegas, then a small town in Montana in search of answers.

A good story, though the first half of the novel seems to move at a snail's pace.

[Sarah Otto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cover und Klappentext sind meiner Meinung nach ausbaufähig. Es spiegelt den tollen Inhalt nicht genügend wider. Hätte ich vorher gewusst welch spannender Inhalt mich in diesem Buch erwartet, hätte es niemals solange im Regal gestanden ;) Thriller sind normalerweise überhaupt nicht mein Genre, aber dieser war richtig richtig gut!